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Perhaps the most controversial of all the Star Trek spin-offs, and certainly the most polarizing, Enterprise was created in the hopes of revitalizing the Star Trek franchise since ratings for the previous series, Star Trek: Voyager, had waned near the end. Intended to be more modern, with characters far from Gene Roddenberry's 24th century Utopian Humanity, Enterprise was situated in one of the least explored eras in the Star Trek universe and a time only 150 years from present day.

The producers – under the guidance of Roddenberry's successor, Rick Berman – sought to set the series apart from those that had come before, creating nearly every set, prop and costume anew and tending toward a more encompassing, "you-are-there" style of storytelling.

According to comments made by Executive Producer Brannon Braga in discussions with fans at TrekMovie.com, Berman's original idea for the series was to have the entire first season set on Earth as Humanity's first-ever warp starship was constructed. This was soon decided to be too far removed from the style of the franchise as a whole, and so the premise was redrafted.

The series was the first to incorporate lyrics into its opening theme song (unused lyrics did exist for the original series' fanfare); it also did not include the words Star Trek in its title until the third season episode "Extinction".

Like its predecessor, Star Trek: Voyager, Enterprise aired on UPN, rather than in first-run syndication like TNG and DS9. Premiering on 26 September2001 with a strong opening, the two-hour pilot "Broken Bow" garnered a 9.9 overnight rating and a 15% share. Ratings, however, declined over the next few seasons, dipping to an average 2.5 million viewers an episode.

As early as the second season, rumors of the show's imminent cancellation pushed the producers to find new directions to take the series. Beginning with the series' third season, Enterprise adopted a darker tone and a more violent arc, in some ways mirroring the post 9/11 sentiment.

While many critics were impressed with the new pull of the series, ratings remained low, and the show was canceled at the end of its fourth season.

Even so, Enterprise accomplished a number of technical firsts for a Star Trek series. It was the first series to air in high definition, with "Exile" being the first episode to air in that format. It was produced with third-generation Sony HDTV cameras starting in Season 4; the first 3 seasons were filmed with traditional 35mm film cameras (which were then transferred to digital for broadcast) [X]wbm. The series was also the first to be produced in widescreen format.

Enterprise's first years were rocky; while the ship made contact with such species as the Suliban and the previously mentioned Klingons, such contact was not peaceful. In its first two years alone, the ship's crew found themselves in armed conflict with a range of species from the Tholians to the Coridan to the Borg... and things only got worse. By its third year in space, an alien species known as the Xindi brutally attacked Earth, killing millions.

The NX-01 was dispatched to a remote and previously uncharted area of space known as the Delphic Expanse in order to prevent the Xindi from completing their ultimate goal of destroying Humanity. While the mission was successful, after nearly a year in the Expanse, the ship suffered severe damage and many losses.

Star Trek: Enterprise was the only live action Star Trek series to complete its run without a change in the cast. Star Trek: The Animated Series also didn't have a change in the main voice cast during its two seasons.

Enterprise's opening title sequence is notable, featuring the Enterprise OV-101 shuttle, named in real life in honor of Star Trek, an interesting paradox. Also used in the sequence: a clip of Zefram Cochrane's ship, the Phoenix, from Star Trek: First Contact, and the real-life animated footage of the Marsrover.

The wrap party for Enterprise was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Boulevard on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 at 7:00 PM. The notes "Dress Festive" and that cocktails, dinner, and a DJ are available are on the invitation. The introduction featured the following text: "This Mission May Be Over But Let's Get The Party Started! Paramount Network Television invites you and your guest to journey back in time at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and glimpse the future in the newly-launched Theodore Restaurant and Lounge. Let's commemorate the final voyage of Star Trek: Enterprise".

Only two official video games using the Enterprise era have been released – Star Trek: Encounters, and Star Trek: Legacy. However, these two games are not true Enterprise games, as they cover the franchise as a whole.

With four seasons, Enterprise reached syndication less than a year after its cancellation, in some markets airing multiple times a week. However, with the 40th anniversary of Star Trek, Enterprise was replaced in syndication by "remastered" versions of classic TOS episodes on 16 September2006.

Episodes are available on CBS.com and its sister site TV.com. Netflix online streaming subscribers can also view episodes.

The first three seasons are also available on the Xbox Live Marketplace (currently US only), a premium service offered with the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Each episode costs about two to three US dollars, and are available in both standard and high-definition widescreen. Two part episodes are broken up into two separate episodes and must be purchased separately.

"Archer's Theme" is an instrumental piece of music used over the closing credits. It was composed by Dennis McCarthy.

The theme was originally intended to be played over the opening credits of the show.(citation needed • edit) McCarthy, having also composed the theme for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, wrote the piece in a style reminiscent of the later Star Trek series. Even though the piece opens with a subdued but recognizable version of Star Trek theme fanfare; McCarthy wrote it in keeping with the spirit of the show to be overall less classical and more modern instrumentally.

The producers' decision to use "Where My Heart Will Take Me" in its stead was a controversial decision that the producers made in an attempt to make the series appeal to an audience wider than that of existing Trek fans.(citation needed • edit)

Altogether four different versions of end credits were used in the show. In the pilot episode, "Broken Bow", an instrumental version of "Where My Heart Will Take Me", also known as "Faith of the Heart", was used.

In the following episode, "Fight or Flight", "Archer's Theme" is heard in a different arrangement. In addition, there is a different closing theme in the double feature, "In a Mirror, Darkly", reprising this episode's unique opening credits music.